News report on irregularities denied

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KATHMANDU, April 3 : The Department of Education today called a press meet to refute a news report related to alleged corruption of the department authorities while hiring consultants for the Basic and Primary Education Programme (BPEP) -II.

The news report appeared in The Kathmandu Post on March 29 had alleged financial irregularities while hiring the consultants for the programme.

The daily had also indicated that the department was misusing foreign aids in unproductive sectors going beyond the spirit of the project.

At the programme, Director General of the Department Chuman Singh Basnet made an attempt to justify the deal made under the guidelines of the IDA but failed to convince the media personnel that there was not any sign of irregularities.

He indirectly accepted the fact that the contract for monitoring of the construction sites was made with a company run by the father of the procurement consultant affiliated with the Department.

Basnet did not like to state anything about differences in the amount of contracts with four different hired consultant firms for designing estimate and construction of district education office buildings in ten various districts.

Body to monitor security operations to be formed

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KATHMANDU, April 3 : The government has proposed for the formation of a high-level committee headed by a retired justice of the Supreme Court or Chief Judge of an Appellate Court to monitor security actions under the Terrorist and Destructive Activities (Control and Punishment) Act.

The committee will also comprise of secretaries of Home, Law and Defence ministries and Deputy Attorney General.

The Minister for Physical Planning and Works, who is also taking care of the Ministry of Home, has said that he would shed light on the provision of the Bill during a clause-wise discussion.

The proposed committee will perform its duty of monitoring the security actions, probe into innocent victimisation and suggest for compensation to the victims for two years, until the Act remains in force.

The committee will be set up within a week after the Bill gets Royal assent.

The formation of the committee is expected to lessen the grievances of the opposition parties criticising the government for victimisation of innocent people.

The Bill is expected to be approved by the Lower House in the form of amendment made by SAC at a meeting on Wednesday.

The Sitayana, an epic drawing readership

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KATHMANDU, April 3 : Dr Ramesh Chandra Adhikari, the first Ph.D. scholar from the Mahendra Sanskrit University and a lecturer at Nepal Law Campus has completed four volumes of epic on the Sitayana.

The epic entitled Sita’s Way of Life considered to be Nepal’s first ever great collections of poetry has been drawing readership from across the country and calls for pursuing the path shown by Sita, a legendary goddess and the daughter of a legendary Hindu king Janak.

"Sita is not only a symbol of surrender but an embodiment of cooperation, coordination and co-existence," said Dr Adhikari, who has authored the book.

The author, who has turned a devotee of Sita hopes that the epic will have positive effect on the life-style and thinking of the readers, politicians and those women, who have been increasingly turning Western and materialistic while forgetting the path shown by Sita, the great legendary daughter of the soil.

The fifth volume on the Sitayana will be completed in the next three months but the author, who is a lecturer of political science, says he will continue writing the epic for the next 15 years.

Training on AIDS control ends

RSS

BHAKTAPUR, April 3 : The three-day training on Prevention of STD and HIV/AIDS organised by Bhaktapur District Red Cross Society under the "Youth for Each Other" programme concluded here on Tuesday.

Altogether 22 persons, including 18 from the Young Artists Group (YAG), two foreign volunteers and two social mobilisation workers took part in the orientation training.

Bhaktapur District Red Cross Society President Bal Mukunda Suwal gave away certificates to the participants of the training at the concluding function on Tuesday.

On the occasion, he called on the youths to be more conscious and launch mass awareness campaign against STDS and HIV/AIDS.

Chief Instructor Kamal Niraula, Nuchhe Kumar Twayena, the District Red Cross Minister, instructor Bidya Devi Shrestha and other members of the District Red Cross Society also expressed their views at the programme.

KMC eastern sector to have new systematic house numbers

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KATHMANDU, April 3 : Over 37,000 houses in the eastern sector of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City is going to have their new numbers in the next three weeks. And around 850 streets will also have names which most of them lack till now.

KMC officials said that a team of the Kathmandu Valley Mapping Programme (KVMP), a joint venture project of KMC and the European Commission, is distributing new systematic house numbers, based on metric system, and street names in Ward Nos. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 34 and 35.

KVMP national-coordinator Padma Sundar Joshi said that the names of streets in the eastern sector have been finalised and test distribution of house numbers will begin from Thursday.

In the eastern sector, there are over 37,000 houses. ward No. 6 has 5,801 houses, ward No. 7 has 7,689 houses, ward No. 8 has 2,832 houses, ward No. 9 has 5,655 houses, ward No. 10 has 7, 974 houses, ward No. 34 has 5, 423 houses and ward No. 35 has 1,961 houses.

Infrastructure engineer Rabindra Poudel of KVMP said that actual house numbers will be given within three weeks and the entire task will be complete within six months.

He said naming the street was the most difficult and time-consuming part of the whole project.

"Collecting street names require the direct involvement of local residents and it obviously took longer time. There are people affiliated to different political parties and the division affected in decision-making," Paudel said.

He, however, said technically working in the eastern sector was easier than working in the central sector for the entire technical team here consisted of junior surveyors who were fresh and needed lengthy trainings and orientation.

The KVMP completed distributing house numbers and street names in the central sector a couple of months back.

He also informed the technical team would visit from door to door to hang the systematic house numbers, which would be used as reference to future administrative coding in KMC-related works.

"This number will not only help the house-owners get letters from their dear ones but also make their every job with KMC easier as these numbers will work as codes for urban planning like building construction, house tax, security and in the future the same numbers would be used for electricity, drinking water, telephone and so on," Paudel said.

The official said the present address-giving system in Kathmandu follows metric system. The basic principle of the metric system is that each building along an access way is given a number that nearly equals the distance in metres from the starting point of the access way to the entrance of the building.

"This implies that the number sequence does not necessarily start with number 1 or 2, even if the building happens to be the first or the second one at both sides of the access way. The universal number rule of odd and even number being assigned to houses on the left and right side buildings is applied but vacant sites do not receive any number."

Award announced

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KATHMANDU, April 3 : The Bhoopal Man Singh Karki Academic Council has decided to award this year’s Bhoopal Man Singh Award to the Trinity Management Committee (TMC) established for erecting the statues of Lekhnath Poudel, Laxmi Prasad Devkota and Bal Krishna Sama. The award carries a purse of Rs 200,000. The statues will be established in the Kathmandu Valley.

Likewise,the Bhoopal Man Singh Social Service Award 2058 BS will be presented to the oldage home Nishaya Sewa Sadan’. The award which carries a purse of Rs 50,000 will be given to the oldage home for providing an excellent contribution to the society.

Action being taken for not operating vehicles

RSS

LALITPUR, April 3 : The District Administration Office, Lalitpur says that action has been initiated for revoking the route permit licenses of 116 vehicles that did not ply on Tuesday in defiance against an earlier agreement with the Transport Entrepreneurs’ Association regarding operation of all means of transportation.

According to the District Administration Office, action has been initiated against 95 mini-buses, 14 microbuses and seven Safa tempo autorikshaws.

A meeting chaired by Minister for Labour and Transport Management Palten Gurung and comprising representatives of the Transport Entrepreneurs’ Associations on March 29 had decided to revoke the route permits of vehicles not operating during the Nepal Bandh general strike called for five days beginning Tuesday by the outlawed CPN—Maoists.

The underground party,however, later withdrew the call for the five-day bandh.

Book on Charlie’s poetry released 

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KATHMANDU, April 3 : Collection of poems titled Selected Poems of Charlie Law by social worker late Charlie Law was released amidst a function here today at St. Xavier’s College.

According to a press release issued here today from Spiny Babbler, the poems were mostly related to his personal experience while working with people suffering from poverty.

Law came to Nepal forty years ago and spent most of his time in education and social work. He served as rector of St. Xavier’s School, principal of St. Xavier’s College and dean of the Social Works Department of the College during his lifetime.

Born in 1931 Law died of heart attack in 2002 in Kathmandu. And during his lifetime he created more than 200 poems. Law also translated his writings related to social issues into the Nepali language, the release states.

The release quotes Pallav Ranjan, editor of the collection that the poems contain real human feelings, real pains and pleasures.

10 Maoists killed in encounters

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KATHMANDU, April 3 : The Defence Ministry today said that security forces gunned down 10 Maoists in exchange of fire in four districts over the last 24 hours.

According to a press statement issued by the Ministry here today, four Maoists were killed in Sisne and one each in Ghoda and Hari Katina areas of Rolpa district on Monday. Likewise, the security forces gunned down two rebels in Narayani area of Nawalparasi and one each rebel in Bais Janghar of Tanahun and Duligaon area of Rukum districts.

The Ministry said that the security forces seized a huge amount of foodstuff hidden by the rebels in Harmi area of Gorkha district yesterday. The security forces distributed the confiscated foodstuff to the construction of a local temple. The forces also defused two "bucket" bombs planted in the premises of Education Office in Dailekh yesterday.

Our reporter in Bardiya said that a joint team of security forces on Tuesday midnight foiled an attempt of Maoist attack in Basgadi area police station, about 30-km north-east of Gulariya, the district headquarters. None of the security personnel was hurt in the clash that lasted about one hour. But the rebels destroyed a range post and an office of Timber Corporation of Nepal about a kilometre away from Basgadi police post.

Meanwhile, our reporter in Syangja said that security forces have been put on maximum alert in the country’s biggest ever 144 MW Kalignadaki "A" Hydroelectric Project in anticipation of Maoist attacks. The project started commercial production from one of its three turbines on Wednesday. The security forces were put on high alert after the Maoists began attacking in development infrastructure including hydropower plants in various districts.

In Dolakha, a group of Maoists on Tuesday night set all office documents and furniture of the Border Administration Office and the Customs Office in Lamabagar, a tiny market bordering Tibet. Police said that all government employees returned to the district headquarters of Charikot from Lamabagar following the Maoist attacks.

The rebels destroyed 10 government facilities in Salle and Serigaon of Rukum district, according to a report received here late. The rebels attacked in Nepal Food Corporation, airport tower, Veterinary Office, Care Nepal Office, Agriculture Development Office, Statistics Office, Agriculture Input Office, Soil Conservation and Forest Office.

Eyewitnesses said that the rebels also made off with 65 quintals of foodstuff after breaking into the Nepal Food Corporation. But the Salle-based airport authorities said they would be able to resume flights in Rukum because the rebels could not rob an important communication set of the tower.

Rumour of Maoist attack paralyses eastern region

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BIRATNAGAR, April 3 : Most of the major cities in the eastern region including Biratnagar Sub-Metropolis remained closed amidst uncertainty despite the fact that the rebel Maoists postponed their five-day nation-wide general strike just a day before the strike.

A widespread rumour of Maoist retaliation paralysed the entire region even on today, according to reports received here from various cities of the eastern region.

Shopkeepers in Biratnagar began pulling down their shutters after a group of suspected people on motorbikes warned a businessman not to open his store throughout Wednesday at Main Road.

The rumour of Maoist retaliation spread like wildfire in the eastern region and all the major markets remained closed within a few hours. In the morning hours some of the shops were opened despite the growing confusion and uncertainty.

Shortly after receiving information about the Maoist rumour, the Morang Industry and Commerce Association had also made an appeal to the locals on loudspeakers not to take it into account.

But the appeal made no impact on the locals. Our reporter said shops in Itahari, Dharan, Damak, Birtamod, Bhadrapur and Kakarbhitta remained closed due to the rumour.

"We will take stern action against those who fuelled the rumour," said Chief District Officer, Dolakh Bahadur Gurung. Chairman of Mornag Commerce Association Shankar Lal Agrawal said that bazaar remained closed due to the unfounded rumour.

The scandal brought bad effect on transport sector as well. There were quite a few public vehicles plying on the roads in the eastern region. Public transport entrepreneurs said they could not operate their buses as a result of the rumour of Maoist attacks.

Local administration
faced hard time to mobilise its security forces to make shopkeepers to open their shutters as almost all the security forces were too busy to conduct the SLC examinations.

Incestuous duo arrested

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SARLAHI, April 3 : The police has arrested two members of a family of Dhugrekhola Village Development Committee (VDC)-3 of the Sarlahi district on the charge of being involved in incest activities as reported by the villagers and the culprits have confessed their crime, according to the police.

The duo is identified as Bhuna Singha Gole, 40, and Fulmaya Gole, 19, the father and the daughter. The locals have reported that the duo killed the newly born baby a few days ago. However, the police have not recovered the dead body from the site of burial.

The culprits have confessed that they were indeed indulged in the filthy act of killing the newly born baby, according to Mohan Pokhrel, the Police Inspector at Haripur Area Police Office.

Research on pico-hydro technology commences

RSS

CHAUTARA, April 3 : A research programme on generating hydroelectricity by using the "Pico-hydro" technology has been undertaken in Simle village and Jalbire Village Development Committee (VDC) here.

In this connection, the Chairperson of Sindhupalchowk District Development Committee (DDC) Suresh Nepal handed over a check of Rs.10,000 to Madhu Bahadur Thapa and Dip Bahadur Thapa, the Coordinators of the research programme, on behalf of the DDC.

The research programme is expected to be complete in about a month’s time at the total cost of Rs. 30,000.

According to the programme coordinators, the technology that is used in production of hydroelectricity for a few households in rural areas at a very minimal cost and in short time is called "Pico-hydro" technology.

It is learnt that the technology developed by the Butwal-based Nepal Hydro and Electric Power Company is being tested for the first time in Sindhupalchowk district out of 15 districts across the Kingdom where the Rural Energy Development Programme has been implemented.

Public awareness training begins

RSS

NEPALGUNJ, April 3 : The three-day "Public Awareness for Good Governance Series- 7" training being organised under the aegis of the Pro-Public, a non-governmental organisation, began here on Tuesday.

Representatives of the Good Governance Radio Listeners’ Clubs and various other organisations working in good governance sector as well as journalists from the Mid-western and Far-western Development Regions are taking part in the training.

The training aims at imparting theoretical and practical knowledge on various aspects of good-governance to the participants.

It is learnt that prior to this, such kinds of training have already been held in Palpa, Dhulikhel, Biratnagar, Jhapa and Pokhara.

Over 850 Good Governance Radio Listeners’ Clubs have been formed in 72 districts across the Kingdom so far ever since the Pro-Public started airing the good-governance programme through Radio Nepal two years back.

Financial difficulties threaten to shut down audio tower

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HETAUDA, April 3 : The Community Communication Centre (CCC) of Palung has been unable to establish the Community Radio Station due to the financial shortcomings although it is the first run an audio tower in the country.

The centre is running the audio tower at Palung, 70 kilometres north of Hetauda, in Makwanpur district since 1995 according to a source at CCC.

The centre, serving the locals for the past three years with the educational and entertaining programmes, was neglected by the governmental and non-governmental organisations when they approached for the support to continue the radio, said Bishnu Hari Dhakal, the chairperson of the centre.

"We have started the construction of a building for the better management of the centre and the radio programmes," said Ram Karki, a member of centre. "We raised Rs. 10,000 from each of our members and District Development Committee (DDC) donated us Rs. 1,00,000 for the construction, but owing to insufficient budget, the work remains incomplete."

"The audio towers established after ours in Madanpokhara and Sundarpur now run the radio stations," said Karki. "But we are still at the beginning due to the lack of money although we have the active and skilled members."

The members also complain that their application for the licence to run a radio station filed seven months ago in the Ministry of Information and Communication has been avoided by the ministry. "We are regularly approaching for the licence," said Karki.

The centre has been airing important messages to the locals, especially concentrating on agriculture and fighting against social anomalies.

The messages aired through the tower is well accepted and has been able to create the positive environment for the development, said the centre. The centre regularly informs about the price of vegetables and a two-hour long programme weekly. The centre has used four loudspeakers for the tranmission of its programme for the people mostly depended upon the vegetable farming.

Administration office shifted

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KAPILBASTU, April 3 : Area Administration Office (AAO) posted at Chandrauta Bazaar of Birpur VDC in the district has been shifted to the district headquarters, Taulihawa, for security reasons, said the sources at the District Administration Office (DAO).

Following the shifting of AAO, the people in the west-northern belt of the district have to now travel all the way to the DAO at Taulihawa, to get important administrative works done.

"All the documents belonging to the AAO have been transferred here and its work has been carried out here itself," said an employee at the DAO, at district headquarters.

Earlier, the AAO at Chandrauta bazaar would facilitate the people in the region by issuing citizenships, attending verbal complaints, renewing certificates for cottage industries and others, as informed by Birendra Nath Sharma, Administrative Officer at the DAO.

The populace from 22 VDCs at the northwestern part of the district was the beneficiary of services rendered by the ADO that was established in 1990 at Chandrauta bazaar, it is learnt.

Katuwals, the traditional messengers, still serve people in Kaski

By Kulchandra Neupane

LEKHNATH, (Kaski) April 3 : Pech Bahadur Pariyar, 60, is still serving as a ‘Katuwal,’ a local messenger, to around three hundred families in two wards of Lekhnath municipality of Kaski district. Despite half a dozen electronic and print media agencies active in the district, the traditional system of spreading the ‘word’ around is still in vogue within the municipal jurisdiction, in question.

Local people in the municipality still depend largely upon ‘Katuwals’ for reliable messages. Apart from traditional messages like the commencement of various festivals and rituals to be observed and others, even the Municipal Office chooses to disseminate its official messages through Katuwals, as is known.

"Kaski district boasts of more than half a dozen news papers, four F.M. radios and a Regional Radio service, however the municipality chooses Katuwals as an effective means of disseminating messages," Ram Mani Adhikari, a legal advisor at the municipality said.

The trend here is that all the information pertaining to public interest are passed to Katuwals through the ward chairman, and the Katuwal in turn relays the message to the public. For this, the municipality has employed Katuwals in its all fifteen wards.

The Katuwals, in the past, would get a certain quantity of crops from each house during the harvesting period and the same during important festivals. Besides the traditional systems of payment, Katuwals are also paid in cash by the municipality. "I want my son also to follow this ancestral profession," says Pech Bahadur. Janga Bahadur, the eldest son to Pech Bahadur and an I. A. Second year student attending college is also willing to take up the family profession in the future.

Exemplary step in course of family planning

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LIWANG, April 3 : Challenging a dominant trend that has been rampant throughout the country for ages
that a daughter is never equalled to a son, Mukunda Shrestha and Punaram Adhikari of the district underwent permanent family planning measures by visiting a vasectomy camp recently, organised at the District Health Office.

Both these men have turned out to be exemplary among the rural populace. Adhikari and Shrestha are fathers of three and two daughters respectively. According to them, their trip to the camp was simply not believed by the people.

Rural people in the countryside are still pre-occupied by the concept that if bare of a son, one’s life is not sanctified.

"I find it a pleasure to promote the concept of equality between son and daughter among the people," said Dr. Sukla, who visited the district from Nepalgunj to conduct the camp.

"The concept of gender equality is slowly gaining momentum among the people but it is yet to get paralleled with the pace of developmennt," opined Sukla, who has registered many experiences visiting different parts of the country under programmes sponsored by UNFPA.

Around 3,000 people in the district are expected to adopt measures of family planning in the district this year. The number of people going through the process of family planning last year was 250, as stated by sources at the DHO in the district.

"Until educated people in society come forward to set an example and materialise the concept of gender equality, the problem will continue to persist in the long run," said to Yogendra Rijal at the DHO.

Lightning kills woman

HETAUDA, April 3 (PR) - The lightening on Monday evening claimed the life of Laxmi Shrestha, 48, at Hatiya VDC-5, according to the police. Shrestha was doing her household work in the shed when the fell unconscious due to the lightening. She was brought to Hetauda Hospital for treatment but died there. The lightening also killed a young he-buffalo that was in the shed, said the police.

Drinking water project completes

NUWAKOT, April 3 (RSS) - Construction of the Shera Drinking Water Project at Shera of Bidur municipality-3, has been completed at the total cost of Rs. 45,000. Out of the total cost of the project, Rs. 20,000 was provided by the ward office while the rest of the cost was met through local voluntary labour. Similarly, a two-room block of the Naradevi Savings and Credit Cooperatives Limited has been constructed at Pokhari in Betkot Village Development Committee at the total cost of Rs. 60,000.

Hailstone damages crops

KALAIYA, April 3 (RSS) - Rain and hailstone in Parsauna, Kakadi, Siharna and Tetariya Village Development Committees (VDCs) in Bara district on Tuesday has damaged the wheat, maize and other spring crops in the areas, according to the District Agricultural Development Office. Local farmers say that hailstones weighing up to one kilogram battered these areas yesterday, causing extensive damage to wheat and maize crop.

Clothes distributed

POKHARA, April 3 (RSS) - Youth Buddhists’ Association, Dharmashila Buddha Vihar at Pokhara distributed cloth to 175 women and 150 men of the deprived communities of Kristri Village Development Committee (VDC) at a function here yesterday. Coordinator of the Cloth Distribution Programme Binod Shakya highlighted the activities of the vihar at the function presided over by Channechaur VDC chairperson Purna Bahadur Thapa.

Child killed in fire

JANAKPURDHAM, April 3 (RSS) - An 11-year-old boy was killed in a fire that broke out at Tubasiyahi Jabdi VDC-7 in Dhanusha district on Tuesday. Three houses were also gutted in the fire. Bimalesh Sahani, son of Sutta Sahani, who was alone in the house, got caught up in the inferno when his parents had gone out to the fields. The fire was brought under control with the help of a fire engine from Janakpur municipality and the local people.

Forum formed

POKHARA, April 3 (RSS) - A gathering of intellectuals organised here the other day has formed the Rastriya Chintan Kendra under the chairmanship of Lakshya Bahadur Gurung with a view to grappling terror with a broad nationalistic vision and fostering a sense of patriotism. Ramesh Bahadur Bhattarai, Keshav Bhandari, Surya Mohan Bhattarai and Bishwa Mohan Gouchan have been designated as vice-chairman, general secretary, treasurer and secretary respectively of the forum.

Banepa-Bardibas road construction halted

By Lilanath Ghimire

SINDHULI, April 3 : The construction works of Banepa-Bardibas road have been halted for at least a week although the Maoist rebels postponed the five-day long general strike on Monday.

The halt in the construction of the road will cause the big loss, according to the construction company.

Hazma, a Japanese Company and Shrestha Construction of Nepal announced the holidays since last Monday, a day prior to the beginning of the strike. The two companies are involved in the construction of the road that is associated with the future of the region.

The loabourers and employees could not be recalled to the work as they were already on the holiday when the Maoist announced the postpone on the twelfth hour, according to an employee of the contractor. The construction work of the road will only begin on April 8.

More than 1,000 lobourers working in the daily wage basis were forced to remain unemployed for a week. "We should work on afternoon to earn for the dinner," said a angry labourer. "Will Maoist come forward to feed our family?"

Among the four sections of the road, Bardibad-Sindhulimadi section has already been completed.

The construction of the alternative and the shortest road to link the capital with the eastern Terai region of the country had been halted twice due to the conflict in the compensation distribution and Maoist’s so-called People’s war.

A few months ago, the construction of the Banepa-Nepalthok section was halted when the Maoist attacked the security force employed for the security of the contractor company in Bhakundebensi of Kavre district. The conflict of compensation distribution also delayed the construction of Sindhuli-Khurkot section for a year.

The 12.5 km part of the 39 km long Sindhuli-Khurkot section was scheduled to complete by the end of last month, but the unnecessary hassles due to the halt delayed that, said a technician of Shrestha Construction.